Our boys love carrots, and even as little babies this was one of their favourite vegetables. That’s no surprise. This sweet root vegetable tends to be the favourite for a lot of babies, and you can feel good about letting them snack on them all year round.
So it was also no surprise when we made this soup for the first time, our kids couldn’t get enough!
Did you know that carrots are an exception to the “vegetables are healthier eaten raw” rule? Cooking the carrots can allow your body access to as much as 10x the beta carotene antioxidant that it would get when you snack on raw. Just one more reason to make this easy and delicious carrot and pear soup!
What you’ll need:
Carrot and Pear Soup
Ingredients
- 4 cups of carrots (cut in chunks)
- 2 pears cut in chunks with the core removed
- 6 cups of low sodium stock (vegetable works really well)
- 2 onions diced
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tsp of fresh ginger (optional)
- 1 tsp of curry powder (optional)
- 1 Tbsp of lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp of Olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F (200C).
- Toss chunks of carrots and pears in 1 TBSP of olive oil
- Bake in the oven for ~25 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
- Meanwhile, heat the other 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large stock pot and sauté onions with a little salt and pepper.
- If you are using ginger and or curry powder add it once the onions become translucent.
- Add the carrots, and pears and any juice from the roasting dish into the stock pot and cover with broth.
- Bring to a boil, then cook for another 15 minutes or until the carrots become nice and tender.
- Transfer the soup to a blender and puree. This may require multiple rounds.
- Once all the soup is pureed, add the lemon juice and stir thoroughly.
Enjoy!
And here’s another fun fact about carrots: did your parents ever tell you that carrots should be eaten because it helps you with your night vision? That’s actually an urban legend based on historical propaganda, and it’s persisted to this day.
During World War II, while Germany was attacking England, the British began to spread a rumor that it was a diet high in carrots that enabled their soldiers to see so well in the dark and able to shoot down the enemy’s aircraft. What they were trying to do was conceal the British’s invention of radar technology from Germany.
While this carrot and pear soup won’t help your kids see in the dark, it is a healthy and high-fiber meal!
Dina is a wife, mother of 4, and adrenaline junky. She loves to share children’s health information from her professional and personal experience. More About Dr Dina.
